What You Missed in the Biz Brief This Week: March 26, 2014

In today’s information-overloaded business world, we often find ourselves deluged with literally hundreds of news items from dozens of sources. While it is likely impossible to read every article and remain productive, by not doing so we risk missing the one article that could change a key business practice or thought process. And that is where the NATSO Foundation’s newest publication, Biz Brief, provides assistance! The NATSO Foundation's Biz Brief is a daily collection of the most relevant business intelligence for truckstop and travel plaza operators.

While we think the Biz Brief is a must-read every day, if you only read ten news articles this week, these ten most-clicked Biz Brief articles are the ten to read.

Michelin Launches Truck Repair Network NATSO Chairman Circle member Michelin North America, Inc. has introduced Michelin's Truck Care program. Michelin Truck Care will provide mechanical repairs and preventive maintenance to fleets across the country. The program currently has 50 locations in the U.S. with consistent products, services and pricing. The Truck Care network utilizes the TMW Systems platform that will allow information to be transferred directly to fleets' maintenance management systems. Network size is expected to grow to 100 by year-end and 300 by 2016. Click here to read more >

Survey Shows Fleet Concerns Over Fuel Invoicing Accuracy A survey conducted by software development company FuelQuest found that 40 percent of fleet respondents think there are inaccuracies in their fuel purchasing invoices. Thirty-eight percent reported that they plan to implement automated solutions to monitor fuel invoicing. More than 24 percent of the trucking companies shared that they have been financially impacted by inaccuracies. Additionally, 99 percent of carriers report fuel invoicing discrepancies at least 25 percent of the time. Click here to read more >

February Diesel Demand Hits 12-Year Low Demand for fuel in February fell to its lowest level since 1998. Distillate consumption, including heating oil, fell to 3.83 million barrels per day, its lowest mark for February since 2002. Diesel demand dropped by 6.3 percent to 3.29 million barrels per day. Gasoline consumption fell slightly to 8.4 million barrels per day, which is its lowest February level since 2001. U.S. production of gasoline and distillate, however, reached all-time highs. Click here to read more >

Walmart Opens First C-Store Walmart has opened its first Walmart To Go in Bentonville, Ark. A local newspaper described the facility as a "hybrid format--part traditional convenience store, part grocery, part quick-serve restaurant." The company has partnered with Bentonville Butcher & Deli and Krispy Kreme to provide quick-serve food offerings. The grocery section of the store stocks packaged foods and supplies on five aisles of merchandising. The convenience store also has six gasoline dispensers under canopy. Click here to read more >

Employers Raise Health Care Deductibles Eighty percent of companies have, or plan, to increase deductibles on their employee health care programs, according to a new report issued by Mercer LLC. The report also found that four out of five companies are concerned about the increased administrative burdens imposed by the Affordable Care Act. Nearly 20 percent of companies said that they have, or plan, to drop employee spouse coverage. Click here to read more >

Love's Goes Off-Interstate Love's Travel Stops opened a new version of its travel center facility designed for non-interstate locations. The new layout is located on U.S. Highway 385 in Andrews, Texas. The travel stop features a McDonald's restaurant, convenience store, five showers and 48 truck parking spaces. According to Co-CEO Greg Love, "The introduction of this new model allows Love's to offer the 'Clean Places, Friendly Faces' Love's is known for to more hardworking drivers on the nation's highways." Click here to read more >

TA Sponsors MATS Parking Lot TravelCenters of America/Petro Stopping Centers is the official sponsor of the parking lot at this year's Mid-America Trucking Show. This is no ordinary parking lot. The MATS parking lot is an area where the trucking community sets up tents and booths for charity functions and provides food and coffee served by volunteers. This year they also are offering hot showers. TA/Petro is providing a trailer equipped with eight showers, clean towels, wash cloths and other amenities that can be used by the company's UltraOne loyalty card customers. The show is expected to attract more than 80,000 truck drivers during the three-day event. Click here to read more >

Tim Hortons Enters C-Store Segment Tim Hortons announced that it will open 25 restaurant units inside convenience stores in Youngstown, Ohio. Tim Hortons is a Canada-based quick-serve restaurant featuring coffee, breakfast pastry items and lunch offerings. The company currently operates 4,485 units throughout the world. While the company has more than 800 free-standing restaurants in the U.S., it plans to open 300 more stores in the country between 2015 and 2018. Click here to read more >

“We hear time and again about accidents that occur as the result of snow or ice becoming dislodged from vehicles as they are traveling. This is a commonsense law that has the potential to prevent accidents and save lives.”

Furniture Distribution Center Coming to North Carolina Ashley Furniture plans to build a 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center in Advance, N.C. The warehouse sits off of Interstate 40, west of Winston-Salem. Construction on the center began in spring 2013, and the opening is scheduled for October. Truck traffic on I-40 should experience an increase as a result of Ashley's investment. Click here to read more >

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About the Author

Roger Cole

Roger Cole serves as edior of the NATSO Foundation's Biz Brief. The Biz Brief is a daily e-newsletter created to provide readers with business intelligence tailored specifically for truckstop and travel plaza owners and operators. Cole shifts through hundreds of news sources daily, selects the most relevant and timely news and then editorially distills it into a must-read briefing.